Questions related to all things Covid testing relating to Princess Cruises

[Jonibme]

On 1/30/2022 at 10:45 AM, chubbypiggy said:

If I buy the Abbott BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test 3-pack kit for $99.99, can my family of 3 persons each use our own cell phone to get a personal virtual visit with an eMed Certified Guide who will help us properly administer the test and the third-party verifies the result? Will each of us be provided via our own email address with the official eMed Labs report in order to board our cruise? Or each of us needs to buy our own test kit?

Yes - you can order one 3 pack and each of you use one of the 3 tests. You have to set up an account on Navica - that is where you enter your email address and where your test results come in to show them in the port or in the American airport if needed to return from travel outside the US. Each of you uses your current personal email address when you register on Navica.

[Jonibme]

14 hours ago, GloriaF said:

We had planned on using the BinaxNOW tests.  How did you know the website to use for proctored results?

If you go to Youtube.com and search for BinaxNOW tests they have some really good step by step demonstrations of the entire process. You will need to download another app called Navica to get your results. Go watch a Youtube video about the Abbott tests. It will be crystal clear in about 15 minutes and you will not be worried anymore.

[penny3557]

On 5/11/2022 at 9:05 AM, wowzz said:

Well, all I can say is that we are leaving the ship in Athens, and no testing is required.  You don't need a test to enter Greece either.

I do find the 24 hour rule slightly strange, but at least Princess are offering free tests at the pier.

I am interested to hear how the testing is going at the port when embarking on the princess regal in Athens...? I need to do this when going on a cruise from Athens on June 25.

[screenname2004]

I am ready to do my emed test this morning. If I use my webcam on my laptop, do I have to download/install Navica app to my phone?

[Firepath]

This has probably been asked a hundred times, but I got tired of reading all the Canadian posts. We are going on an AK cruise in 2 weeks, departing on Saturday. Two of us are fully vaccinated(both boosters) and 2 have just one booster. Can the two who are fully vaccinated test starting on Wednesday and the other two starting Thursday? Also Princess recommends Walgreens, but they no longer have the rapid Antigen test. Does Princess accept the NAAT test? Thank You.

 

[d9704011]

2 hours ago, Firepath said:

This has probably been asked a hundred times, but I got tired of reading all the Canadian posts. We are going on an AK cruise in 2 weeks, departing on Saturday. Two of us are fully vaccinated(both boosters) and 2 have just one booster. Can the two who are fully vaccinated test starting on Wednesday and the other two starting Thursday? Also Princess recommends Walgreens, but they no longer have the rapid Antigen test. Does Princess accept the NAAT test? Thank You.

 

Don't forget about that stop in Victoria and what it means for you.  Cheers.... another Canadian poster.

[nini]

2 hours ago, Firepath said:

This has probably been asked a hundred times, but I got tired of reading all the Canadian posts. We are going on an AK cruise in 2 weeks, departing on Saturday. Two of us are fully vaccinated(both boosters) and 2 have just one booster. Can the two who are fully vaccinated test starting on Wednesday and the other two starting Thursday? Also Princess recommends Walgreens, but they no longer have the rapid Antigen test. Does Princess accept the NAAT test? Thank You.

 

If you have any boosters, you can test 3 days before boarding the ship. The chart is on the Princess website.

[hein49]

Does anyone know if Princess will pay for the test to reenter the USA?  It says that on their website, but I've not seen any information about it on this or any other forum.

[stevenr597]

4 hours ago, Firepath said:

This has probably been asked a hundred times, but I got tired of reading all the Canadian posts. We are going on an AK cruise in 2 weeks, departing on Saturday. Two of us are fully vaccinated(both boosters) and 2 have just one booster. Can the two who are fully vaccinated test starting on Wednesday and the other two starting Thursday? Also Princess recommends Walgreens, but they no longer have the rapid Antigen test. Does Princess accept the NAAT test? Thank You.

 

The NAAT Test is what the Canadians Call a “Molecular Test”  It is more sensitivity then the Antigen test and accepted by both the Canadians and the United States.  It is the equivalent to the PCR.  

[stevenr597]

2 hours ago, d9704011 said:

Don't forget about that stop in Victoria and what it means for you.  Cheers.... another Canadian poster.

The Canadian requirements are for cruises that embark in Canada.  Make sure that you do have your ArriveCAN form filled out before you check in. 

[d9704011]

2 hours ago, stevenr597 said:

The Canadian requirements are for cruises that embark in Canada.  Make sure that you do have your ArriveCAN form filled out before you check in. 

There is a requirement to use ArriveCan when boarding a cruise ship outside of Canada with a visit to a Canadian port on the itinerary.  Here is a good description of how things work:

 

You cannot enter “tests” in ArriveCAN effective 1 April, 2022.
 

     
 

    Since 1 April, 2022, there is no COVID test requirement for fully vaccinated travellers to enter Canada by air, land, rail, or water (marine).  And effective 25 April, there is no requirement to submit a quarantine plan in ArriveCAN.
 

     
 

    Therefore, you only need to scan in your passport (travel docs) and proof of vaccination when you sign up for your mandatory ArriveCAN account in advance.  COVID test results were eliminated from ArriveCAN on 1 April, 2022, and the next ArriveCAN version on 25 April, eliminated entering a quarantine plan. 
     
 

    Then when you are within 72 hours entering Canada by air or land, or 96 hours of boarding your cruise ship that will eventually have a port of call or disembark in Canada, the ArriveCAN app will allow you to enter the rest of the required data, submit, receive your receipt in ArriveCAN and by email, take a screen shot of your receipt in your device, and print out your email receipt as a back up.  The last part takes no more than 1 minute to complete.
 

     
 

    However, if you enter Canada by air or land, you might get selected for random COVID testing.  We were randomly selected twice when we entered by air…delayed us by about 15 minutes.  Your mileage may vary.  And there are other reasons you need a COVID pre-entry test such as not fully vaccinated, medical, etc.
 

     
 

    Also, if you are doing a one way cruise originating in Canada and sailing to a foreign country, for example USA, Japan, etc, and disembarking and ending  your cruise in that foreign country, ArriveCAN is not required. Simple one way West coast examples are sailing from Vancouver to Whittier, Seattle, California, Hawaii, Asia, etc, where you end your cruise. 
     
 

    Do not confuse a pre-entry COVID test, which is no longer required for fully vaccinated travellers to enter Canada, with a pre-embarkation COVID test, which is required to embark your cruise ship for a cruise that originates in Canada, for example in Vancouver, Quebec City, Montreal, etc.  
     
 

    ArriveCAN is so easy to do in the app, but you will find a few posters over thinking and complicating this simple process.
 

     
 

    ArriveCAN website
 

   https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/arrivecan.html
 

     
 

    ArriveCAN help
 

   https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/arrivecan/help.html
 
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2850392-flying-home-to-us-from-vancouver-covid-test-needed/?do=findComment&comment=63193897

[Jamaidian]

I am from Vancouver and doing a 14-day roundtrip alaska glaciers voyage from vancouver to vancouver in August. I know all about the COVID testing requirements needed for embarkation in Vancouver, but does anybody know if I need to retest at the halfway point in Whittier? I thought I read somewhere that I will need to get off the ship and retest if doing a back to back voyage; however, I booked this as a 14-day voyage and not two separate 7-day ones. Not sure if that makes any difference or not. Anybody know the answer to this one? 

 

I apologize in advance if this has been asked already, but I did a quick search and couldn't find it.

[spunks]

It will not make any difference...they will test you.

[PacnGoNow]

5 hours ago, Jamaidian said:

I am from Vancouver and doing a 14-day roundtrip alaska glaciers voyage from vancouver to vancouver in August. I know all about the COVID testing requirements needed for embarkation in Vancouver, but does anybody know if I need to retest at the halfway point in Whittier? I thought I read somewhere that I will need to get off the ship and retest if doing a back to back voyage; however, I booked this as a 14-day voyage and not two separate 7-day ones. Not sure if that makes any difference or not. Anybody know the answer to this one? 

 

I apologize in advance if this has been asked already, but I did a quick search and couldn't find it.

They have been testing the day before your turnaround ob the ship for b2b’s free of charge. However, just recently some ships have not tested b2b’s, like the

CB that just sailed through the Panama Canal to Ft Lauderdale and those b2b’s were not tested.  So, who knows what they will do in August.  It probably will depend more on what the government restrictions are at that time and the viral spread.  It does not matter if its booked as a 14 day or two 7 days.  
 

Enjoy your cruise!  

Edited May 14, 2022 by PacnGoNow

[Jamaidian]

Ok great. If they test on the ship that's perfect. I was confused about whether we had to get off the ship halfway in the cruise and find someplace that will test us. If Princess organizes that for people doing B2B then that's easy.  🙂

[travelhound]

On 5/13/2022 at 11:17 AM, Firepath said:

This has probably been asked a hundred times, but I got tired of reading all the Canadian posts. We are going on an AK cruise in 2 weeks, departing on Saturday. Two of us are fully vaccinated(both boosters) and 2 have just one booster. Can the two who are fully vaccinated test starting on Wednesday and the other two starting Thursday? Also Princess recommends Walgreens, but they no longer have the rapid Antigen test. Does Princess accept the NAAT test? Thank You.

 

Yup, most of the Covid testing has been shut down in my area.  Going forward it's going to be difficult to find any testing sites.

[travelhound]

On 5/13/2022 at 10:04 AM, screenname2004 said:

I am ready to do my emed test this morning. If I use my webcam on my laptop, do I have to download/install Navica app to my phone?

No, but make sure that you have adequate bandwidth.  We had a problem with bandwidth in hotel room while taking the emed tests.

[junglejane]

Here's a news article from today about the possible end to US reentry testing. I'm just posting the link and am mindful of the forum rule stickied at the top about not engaging in opinion or debate, so I hope that's okay. 

https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2022-05-13/airlines-press-u-s-to-lift-pre-departure-testing-requirements

 

 

[atexsix]

Since the testing policies on every line use the word embarkation, can someone please clarify what that means?  I want to make sure I'm advising our roll call correctly.  Is embarkation the time you board the ship or the time the ship departs?

[atexsix]

Sigh....will this confusion ever end?

 

Princess Website: voyages that embark in Canada = within 72 hours for PCR

Holland America Website: voyages that embark in U.S. that include Canada in itinerary = within 72 hours

 

So the Princess website only refers to the 72 hour rule for Canadian departures, but the HAL website refers to the 72 hour rule for U.S. departures that include a Canadian stop.  Princess says nothing about U.S. departures that include a Canadian stop.

 

What am I missing?

 

 

[Buckeye10640]

I am back as promised to report that we were able to board in Whittier around 1pm yesterday (Sat) with results from Rapid NAAT tests (PCR test) taken at 9:30am ET on Wed.  We met the  within 3 day req but we were well outside of 72 hrs.   The girl checking us in appeared to be in training with a supervisor by her side. She looked at our test results and the date then turned to supervisor and said '3 days' ( like a question). The supervisor nodded and we were on our way. 

All that worry for nothing. Now hoping disembarkation testing for Vancouver and flying to the US goes this well!

[coo359a2]

10 minutes ago, atexsix said:

Sigh....will this confusion ever end?

 

Princess Website: voyages that embark in Canada = within 72 hours for PCR

Holland America Website: voyages that embark in U.S. that include Canada in itinerary = within 72 hours

 

So the Princess website only refers to the 72 hour rule for Canadian departures, but the HAL website refers to the 72 hour rule for U.S. departures that include a Canadian stop.  Princess says nothing about U.S. departures that include a Canadian stop.

 

What am I missing?

 

 

 

Go to the Princess web site and look under Health Protocols FAQs for Sailings From The  US and Canada cruises and then the section on Covid Testing..  Your will see testing required for cruises starting i(embarking) in the U.S and those that start (embark) in Canada.

https://www.princess.com/plan/cruise-with-confidence/cruise-health/frequently-asked-questions/us-cruises/

 

 

[Land&Sea_Cruiser]

14 hours ago, Jamaidian said:

Ok great. If they test on the ship that's perfect. I was confused about whether we had to get off the ship halfway in the cruise and find someplace that will test us. If Princess organizes that for people doing B2B then that's easy.  🙂

My belief is that they will test you before you get on to help ensure there is a minimal chance a Covid infected person boards. Once you are on the ship, there will be minimal or no testing as they do not want to deal with any infected people on the ship. I am sure they have some cabins put aside for their Covid ward but I have heard there are minimal services to support these locked up passengers. 

 

I suggest you do what you need to keep yourself protected to whatever level you want. If you think you are sick, do what you can (where a mask, stay away from groups, wash your hands a lot, etc...) to keep others from catching whatever you may have and do your best to enjoy your cruise with limited freedom. Getting locked up on a cruise will not be fun at all.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[erber]

23 minutes ago, Buckeye10640 said:

I am back as promised to report that we were able to board in Whittier around 1pm yesterday (Sat) with results from Rapid NAAT tests (PCR test) taken at 9:30am ET on Wed.  We met the  within 3 day req but we were well outside of 72 hrs.   The girl checking us in appeared to be in training with a supervisor by her side. She looked at our test results and the date then turned to supervisor and said '3 days' ( like a question). The supervisor nodded and we were on our way. 

All that worry for nothing. Now hoping disembarkation testing for Vancouver and flying to the US goes this well!

Buckeye, thank you for reporting back. That is excellent news. 

 

 

 

 

[mina]

Looks like precruise testing options have changed for UK cruises on May 11. Says that port testing is only provided to those who have proof of testing two days prior and not getting the results.  Testing timeframe has also changed to three days not two.   With pcr required for people not fully vaccinated.
 

 

I am having a hard time interpreting their definition of fully vaccinated.   Our booster will be past the nine month timeframe when we sail,  so are we considered fully vaccinated?  Their wording is confusing.  It says:  A booster dose is required for guests twelve 12 years and older whose final dose of an approved/authorized COVID-19 vaccine is older than 9 months (270 days)

so what is the final dose?  Is the final dose our last booster or is it the original two shot series?  

Edited May 15, 2022 by mina